Lawn and Landscape

Look at the pictures, in the fall when you plant, you have open sunlight and great growing conditions, in the summer the leaves are full, the trees are blocking sunlight and air movement, combine that with heat, humidity and afternoon thunderstorms

it’s the perfect storm, roots stay on top because of wet conditions, never dries out because no sunlight, then the disease hits with humidity

then you end up where you are

lawn care is not for everybody
 
guffey24 said:
Look at the pictures, in the fall when you plant, you have open sunlight and great growing conditions, in the summer the leaves are full, the trees are blocking sunlight and air movement, combine that with heat, humidity and afternoon thunderstorms

it’s the perfect storm, roots stay on top because of wet conditions, never dries out because no sunlight, then the disease hits with humidity

then you end up where you are

lawn care is not for everybody
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So it sounds like if I want grass up there, I will have to continue to completely replant it every fall.
 
drkelly said:
So it sounds like if I want grass up there, I will have to continue to completely replant it every fall.
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fescue needs overseeded every year

push the new grass in, every year tons of people go through the exact thing you are dealing with

we live in the transition zone, it’s not easy growing grass in these areas

you can keep it alive, but you will need to do a lot, it starts with the right grass, I start in May studying the new grass types, new heat tolerant, disease tolerant fescues!!! There is no such thing, yes they do better than older varieties but environmental condition have to be perfect, hence why they are grown in Oregon

get your pocket book out, I will post a program that will help you keep it better
 
guffey24 said:
fescue needs overseeded every year

push the new grass in, every year tons of people go through the exact thing you are dealing with

we live in the transition zone, it’s not easy growing grass in these areas

you can keep it alive, but you will need to do a lot, it starts with the right grass, I start in May studying the new grass types, new heat tolerant, disease tolerant fescues!!! There is no such thing, yes they do better than older varieties but environmental condition have to be perfect, hence why they are grown in Oregon

get your pocket book out, I will post a program that will help you keep it better
Click to expand...
And fungus is treated best preventatively, I start in early May and hit my regular trouble lawns on a 21-28 day cycle. That's a small area so a couple bags of Headway would probably get you thru the season. It's disheartening but once you get it close to right, you'll be satisfied.
 
drkelly said:
Then the heat starts building in May/early June and it slowly starts to go bad. By late July it ends up like this.
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Similar issue...but this area has NEVER seen grass. It was actually cut clay. I put a 2" base of topsoil, limed and fertilized the soil about 2 weeks before seeding it with kentucky 31 for the first time in early march. It came up THICK and looked stunning....didn't get a pic of it in it's peak....figured it would hang around so no rush...then started to see signs of dying and took more pics.

Now...it's BEYOND dead. And I watered it almost every evening for more than an hour

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DEAD!!!

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Fook the cool season grass. I say that, but still end up doing the annual fall aerate/seed ritual.
Several years ago, I had this warm season grass (weed?) pop up near my pool. Not sure if its zoyisa or bermuda grass, but it kicks ass. Its off-white in the winter, but once the heat comes and the fescue starts dying, this stuff greens up and is deceptively thick. It is taking over my yard, creeping outward, and I don't mind.
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My in-laws front lawn is FULL sun. The FIL got tired of starting over with fescue every fall, so switched to Zoysia several years ago. He doesn't water it at all, and it looks like a super thick green carpet right now. It looks a lot like what you have @RenegadeT
 
Troy, it looks like you put dirt on top of rock, but you say this cut clay. Hope you tilled it some but spring seeding will get you this most of the time. Is this a southern/western exposure? If so it will bake with the afternoon sun. Do over this fall and add some turf type fescue and see how it fares next year. Fert throughout the winter to build the roots up. Plus you got to water it thru the hot months some.
 
R Q said:
Troy, it looks like you put dirt on top of rock, but you say this cut clay
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no rock whatsoever. JUST cut clay. I ripped it up a few inches with the box teeth then hand raked

R Q said:
Is this a southern/western exposure?
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Dead nuts north. But exposed from 9am till 6pm
 
CasterTroy said:
no rock whatsoever. JUST cut clay. I ripped it up a few inches with the box teeth then hand raked



Dead nuts north. But exposed from 9am till 6pm
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Full day exposure is going to be tough being on a hill like that. You may want to start some dwarf Mondo Grass in there. It's like a dwarf Liriope ornamental ground cover but resembles grass very well but it takes time to spread.
 
Walking across my back 40, today, & this caught my eye. Split is twice as long as what the pic shows, & at it's widest, you could slide a hand in it! This Branch of the 3-trunk, is Heavily loaded to one side! I bet the Wind storms we've had the past several weeks, got it! All the off-shoots & leaves, look Fine. If it get's worse or starts dying, I Know who has the Matches.
 

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Digitalis, crabgrass, or something else entirely?
 
It's that time of year again!

R Q said:
Here is some info I pass along to people so I don't have to stand there and tell them and waste my time. I started at #3 because the first two steps time has passed. You can all Google John Deere Landscapes and find a store that sells seed and fert and buy all of your supplies there. These are high quality products. They also carry all of the ferts with pre-emergents for the spring and summer.
If you've never done a soil test, you need to. John Deere can do them or they are free most of the year with the NC Dept of Ag.

3. Between September 15th and October 15th is the optimum time to reseed. If it is still

very hot and dry, wait, but get it done before Oct. 15th.

4. Before aerating, mow lawn down very low, not to the dirt, but

close.

5. When seeding time comes you should prepare your yard by wetting it thoroughly

before aerating it. This will ensure that the aerator will penetrate the soil effectively.

Any totally bare spots should be tilled or dug up by hand to create a seed bed.

6. Aerate your lawn aggressively and make double and triple passes.

7. Seed immediately after aerating with turf-type fescue (we use John Deere/Lesco Blue Tag Certified or

Transition Blend seed), at a rate of 5 lbs per 1000 square feet of lawn area. (measure

length times width of lawn areas, do not include beds, buildings or sidewalks)

8. Fertilize with starter fertilizer, 18-24-12 (or equivalent), at the rate on the bag.

9. Lightly straw any bare areas with wheat straw. (be sure to add a little extra seed to

these areas) You can also use PennMulch or peat moss rather than straw. (less weeds)

10. Water the first time for a long time to be sure the seed gets enough moisture to

germinate. After that, water 10 to 15 minutes per area daily until grass is at least 3

inches tall. After that, keep watering two to three times per week to keep it looking

good.

11. Thirty days after you seed, apply slow release winter fertilizer. We use John Deere/Lesco 28-0-5 (or equivalent, the mixtures vary each year)

at rate on bag.

12. Keep leaves off of lawn by blowing, not raking them. (you damage

seedlings by raking)

13. Mow lawn when grass is 4" to 6" tall. Remove any clumps of grass by hand that are

caked on the ground. Use only SHARP mower blades. Mow at 3.5-4" inch height

14. If any areas don't come up, scratch with a rake and reseed and straw.
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shawn said:
I'm of a mind to just RoundUp our entire yard and start over.

Maybe next year.
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I've got an area along my driveway that I have been thinking seriously about doing that to for the past couple of years. I figured I would spray it heavily in late June, then it should be OK for new seeding in late September.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
To add on this, when to apply Lime? Before seeding, after germination, doesnt matter?
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Before seeding or well after germination. but you should test the soil to see exactly what it needs.

drkelly said:
I've got an area along my driveway that I have been thinking seriously about doing that to for the past couple of years. I figured I would spray it heavily in late June, then it should be OK for new seeding in late September.
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I kill starting in early to mid August for fall renovations when needed.
 
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